UPDATE: State Lawmaker Tags Dodge Denver Parking Tickets Also

Last month, we reported on the revelation that the red light cameras and photo radar traps in Denver were not sending out tickets to drivers with the vanity-like state legislature license plates. Now, Fox 31 Denver is out with a story that discloses that the city cannot collect on parking tickets if the lawmakers chose not to pay.

At fault is the same database issue that the City of Denver blames for the inability to process automated tickets for moving violations: it uses the DMV database to obtain contact information for the registered owners of the vehicles, and that database does not contain information on the special legislative plates. The Fox 31 story quoted Denver Public Works spokeswoman Emily Williams:

“Because the Department of Public Works relies on the DMV database to contact people with unpaid parking tickets we are not able to contact legislators with unpaid parking tickets.”

It is shocking that neither this bureaucrat, nor anyone in her organization, can figure out that if a license plate says “Senate District XX,” it belongs to the state senator from District XX. And each one of these people has an office in downtown Denver with a real mailing address that can receive the tickets.

A CBS report showed there are 16 people with Colorado state legislature tags with more than $2,000 in unpaid fines and penalties. It’s time to shine the light of day on these 16 people who feel like they live by a different set of rules.